Far From Home In Tennessee
by lhsboner06
Summary: Rafe's little sister has always follwed Rafe and Danny around but what happens when she enlists in the army as a nurse three years after they do. Begins in 1928 and continues through the war. Please read and review.
1. Meeting Rafe

Okay, this is not my actual first fan fiction but it is my first one on this site. I am a major World War Two person which is one of the reasons I chose to write this story. It is a Danny and Rafe's little sister fan fic.

Disclaimer: The only character I own is Tori/Victoria who is Rafe's little sister.

1928

Danny and his dad move into their new home in Tennessee. They left Kentucky because Danny's mother passed away from cancer a few months earlier. Danny's dad turned to alcohol and began drinking frequently just after his wife's death. Many nights, his dad would come home and beat him and Danny never struck back. Danny sat in his new room while his dad went out and got drunk.

One day, Danny went down to the lake that was five minutes from his new house in Tennessee. While he was down at the lake he met Rafe. They talked for hours about everything.

Danny looked down at his watch and noticed how late it was. His dad was going to flip out since he was so late.

"Rafe, I gotta go. My dad is going to kill me for coming home late."

"Oh, well, do you wanna come over to my house and hang out tomorrow?"

Danny smiled when he told Rafe that it sounded fun. He stood up and ran off towards his house.

Danny's dad was sitting in the kitchen waiting for Danny. When Danny entered the kitchen and saw his dad sitting at the table he stopped briefly before backing up towards the front door. Danny's dad angrily got up from his seat and moved towards Danny.

"Where have you been? You were supposed to be home an hour ago."

Danny's dad continued to move towards Danny as Danny continued to back away towards the door in hope to escape but his dad was awfully close to him now.


	2. Tagalong Tori

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny or Rafe although I wish I did.

A/N: Sorry the last chapter just kind of dropped off but here is what came after.

"Sorry, dad. I was down at the lake where I met one of the neighbors. I lost track of the time." Danny explained to his dad.

"I don't care whether you made a friend or not. When you are supposed to be home you had better be home." Danny's dad retorted as he got within range to hit Danny. He smacked Danny hard across the face.

Danny's dad continued to beat him. Finally the beating stopped and Danny ran straight to his room and slammed the door and crawled in bed. Danny cried himself to sleep like he had done many nights before. Danny wouldn't consider himself a crybaby he is only nine after all.

The next day Danny went and met Rafe down at the lake and went to Rafe's house for the afternoon. When they met up at the lake Rafe noticed the bruise on Danny's face and immediately asked about it.

"What is up with the bruise on your face, Danny?"

Danny raised his hand to his face. "Oh, nothing. I fell and hit the side of my face on the steps of my front porch." Danny said trying to cover up the beating he received from his father the night before.

Rafe didn't believe Danny but dropped the subject anyway.

"I hope my sister doesn't bother us the way she does with all my friends." Rafe said as they got close to his house.

"What do you mean, Rafe?"

"My sister follows my friends and me everywhere whenever one of them comes over to hang out. It is so annoying."

"You are lucky to have a sister. I am an only child living with only my dad."

"What happened to your mom? If you don't mind me asking."

Danny got really quiet at the mention of his mother. He hadn't talked about her since she died six months earlier.

"It's ok. My mom died about six months ago from…cancer. She battled it for about three years. My dad was a mess, lost his job and started drinking. We moved here in hope that he could find a new job. He did but he still drinks. So now we are here in Tennessee away from my birthplace in Kentucky, away from my family." Danny started to get a little teary eyed talking about his mom.

Rafe noticed Danny's reaction to the mention of his mom. Her death affected him more than anybody could ever understand.

"Hey, are you ok? I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's ok. I just haven't talked about my mom much since she died. I think about her often though. How could I not?"

The two new friends walked the rest of the way to Rafe's house in utter silence. When they reached the house a little girl came running out to meet them. Rafe rolled his eyes as sister ran up to them.

"Hey, Tori. Danny, this is my little sister Tori. Tori, this is Danny Walker our new neighbor and MY new friend."

"Hi Danny. When did you move here?"

"Hello Tori. I moved here about a week ago. How old are you?"

"I'm six now. How old are you?"

"I just turned nine."

"Come on, Danny, let's go inside to my room and hang out in there. No, Tori you can't come with us."

"Fine, Rafe. I will just go play dolls with mom." Tori stomped away.

"Sorry about that Danny. My sister can be so annoying. Come on in."

Rafe and Danny go into Rafe's house and into the kitchen where Rafe's parents and Tori are.

"Hi mom. Hi dad. This is Danny Walker. He just moved into the neighborhood."

"Hello Danny. It is very nice to meet you. Would you care to stay for dinner?" Rafe's mom smiled at Danny.

"Sorry mam but I can't stay. My dad is very specific about when I have to be home for dinner."

"Mom, we are going to go up to my room. Please keep Tori away from us. I don't want her following us everywhere we go."

"Be nice to your sister, Rafe. Let her play with you and your friend."

"Fine. Come on let's get up to my room before she makes me do anything else."

Danny followed Rafe up the stairs to his room. Tori of course tagged along right behind much to Rafe's displeasure. The three played for the rest of the afternoon and beecame the best of friends.

A/N: Ok that is the second chapter. Please review. I will post another chapter soon.


	3. Danny's Dad

A/N- Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Well, here is chapter 3. I had to replace the original Chapter 3 because I realized that I had put the wrong ages and it changed th rest of my stories timeline.

Disclaimer-I do not own Danny or Rafe although I wish I did.

1933

Danny is now 14 and Rafe is 15. Little Tori is still following her big brother and his friend everywhere. Danny's dad lost his job again and came home really drunk one night. Danny was sitting in his room.

"Danny, where are you?" Danny's dad called maliciously. "Come here, now."

Danny remained silent as his dad stomped up the stairs. Danny's dad reached his son's room and began banging on the door. The door broke open and his dad barged into the room.

"Why didn't you answer me when I called?" Danny's dad yelled at him. He backhanded Danny flat across the face. "Look at me when I talk to you."

Danny's dad continued to beat Danny for a few more hours. He finally left Danny's room and Danny laid down on his bed and cried himself to sleep.

The next morning Danny woke up and went downstairs but his dad wasn't there. He went back upstairs but went to his dad's room instead of his own. There was his dad lying on the floor of the room on his stomach. Danny ran over to his dad and tried to find his dad's pulse but it wasn't there. He shook his dad's body.

"Come on dad. Wake up. You can't die now." He gave up and fell across his dad's body and cried. He laid there until there was a knocking at the door. He got up and went back downstairs to answer the door. Danny opened the door to find Rafe standing there waiting for him.

"Hey Danny boy. Come on. We are going to go down to the lake."

"Sorry Rafe but I can't go."

"Why not, Danny boy?"

"Something that I don't really want to talk about."

"Come on, Danny. You can tell me. We are best friends after all."

"Okay. Well, I woke up this morning and found my dad lying on the floor of his bedroom. I am now pretty positive that he is dead. He didn't respond to me at all." Danny broke down crying. Even though his dad beat him, Danny still loved his dad very much.

"Danny, I am so sorry." Rafe rushed towards Danny to hug him. "Are you sure that he is dead?"

"Yeah, he is not breathing and I can't find a pulse. Rafe, what should I do?"

"Come on. We are going to my house. My parents will know what to do." Rafe grabbed a hold of Danny's hand and dragged him from the house.

"Rafe, wait. Can I possibly change first?" Danny looked down at his plaid pajamas that he was still wearing.

"Yeah, go, quickly." Danny ran back into the house and up the stairs to his room. He quickly changed and not even 5 minutes later he was back outside with Rafe.

"Okay. We can go now."

Rafe and Danny ran all the way from Danny's house to Rafe's house. Just as they came racing into the house they ran into Rafe's dad.

"Hello, Mr. McCawley."

"Hello, Danny. Why are you two in such a hurry?"

"Well we were coming to see you, dad." Rafe said as he pulled his dad towards the kitchen.

"What is this all about?"

"I better let Danny tell you?" Rafe looked at Danny as if to say everything was going to be ok, just tell him.

"Well sir. You see, when I woke up this morning my house was awfully silent so I went into my dad's room to see if he was ok. I found him lying on the floor of his bedroom. I tried to find a pulse but I couldn't find it. He wasn't breathing either." Danny once again broke down in tears.

Just then Tori came running in. "Hi dad, Rafe, Danny." She ran over to Danny. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Tori, just be quiet. Now is not the time to be asking questions. Come on up to my room, Danny." Rafe started towards the stairs.

"No Rafe. I would like Danny to stay here and talk with me." Danny stayed where he was. "Take Tori upstairs with you." Rafe and Tori headed up the stairs towards Rafe's room.

"Rafe, what is wrong with Danny? Why was he crying?" Tori asked once they got upstairs.

"Well, Danny's dad died last night. Come on to my room and we will figure out something to do."

Meanwhile-Back downstairs in the Kitchen

"Danny, do you have any clue as to why your father might have died?"

"Well, he did come home drunk again. Do you think he might have died from the alcohol?" Danny rubbed his shoulder and winced because of a bruise there from the previous night's beating.

"Danny, are you ok? Does your shoulder hurt?" Rafe's dad asked when he saw Danny wince.

"It's nothing. I just bumped into a doorway at home last night before my dad came home." Danny lied while he continued to rub his shoulder. "So, what are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can do. I have to call the police and tell them that your father passed away." Danny noticed the worried expression on Danny's face. "Don't worry, Danny, everything will be ok."

"How can it be? I have no family." Danny looked down at the floor.

"We will figure that out, Danny. Right now you need to go upstairs while I call the police."

"Okay Mr. McCawley." Danny said wiping his tears aside. "Thank you." Danny turned and ran up the stairs into Rafe and Tori who were waiting at the top of the stairs.

"Hey guys. Let's go do something." Danny said.

"Well what do you want to do?" Rafe said trying to be cautious of Danny's feelings.

"I am going to be ok, Rafe. Why don't we going flying? Do you think your dad will take us when he gets off the phone?"

"That sounds like a great idea. Wait, who is dad calling?"

"Your dad is calling the police about my dad's death. How long do you think it is going to be?"

"It shouldn't be too long. Come on into my room for now." Danny, Rafe and Tori went into Rafe's room.

About an hour later, Rafe's dad called upstairs for the three of them to come downstairs immediately.

A/N-Well that's where I leave you this time. Please Review. I would really like some input as to how I can make my story better.


	4. The Move

A/N-Hey, just finished Chapter 4 so here it is.

Disclaimer-I do not own Rafe and Danny. I really wish I did though.

Far From Home In Tennessee-Chapter 4-The Move

Danny and Rafe's family had a lot to discuss that day. That was the day that Rafe's family decided to take Danny in as one of their own. Rafe's family accompanied Danny when went back to his home to gather his things. The police were there when they arrived.

"Hello, Mr. McCawley." One of the officers said as they approached the house.

"Hello officers. Have you inspected the body of Mr. Walker yet?"

"No, sir. We were waiting until you arrived with the boy. We have not even entered the house. A medical unit is on their way. They will move the body. What took you so long to get here?"

"We had a great deal to discuss at my family's home. Figuring out what would happen to young Danny. That kind of stuff."

Danny made his way towards the house while the adults were talking.

"Danny, why don't you take the officers to your dad's room and tell them exactly what you told me? We will start packing up your room."

"Yes, sir." Danny stopped at the front door and waited until the officers caught up with him. He showed them to his dad's room.

"I just found him lying there this morning. He wasn't moving at all. I thought he might be sleeping so I was gonna wake him up but when I tried I found out that he wasn't breathing. I tried to find a pulse but I couldn't."

"Did anything happen yesterday that was unusual?"

"Not that I can think of. I mean, I know that he lost his job yesterday and last night he came home drunk. My dad was always coming in at odd times because he had been out drinking."

"Okay. You can go help the McCawleys pack your things." Danny left the room and began searching for the McCawleys. He found them in his room.

"Hi." Danny said in a very small voice. He began helping Rafe's family in packing his belongings. They had Danny's entire room packed in about an hour and a half.

The McCawley family and Danny began carrying the boxes of Danny's belongings outside and to the McCawley's car. The medical unit had arrived and they had taken a gurney into the house to remove the body of Danny's father. The doctors would perform an autopsy and they would know in a few days as to what it was that killed Danny's dad.

"Come on. Let's get Danny to his new home." Rafe's dad said as her climbed into the car.

The McCawleys which now included Daniel Walker pulled into their driveway. They all got out and each grabbed a box and moved Danny into the McCawley family.

Two days later a phone call came from the person who performed the autopsy on Danny's dad. He declared the cause of Danny's dad's death to be an alcohol overdose. That day became the day that Danny decided what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

Rafe and Danny began flying everyday. It was their passion. Whenever somebody came to see Rafe or Danny, Tori would respond with, "Look to the Skies."

During one of those flights, Rafe and Danny decided that they were going to join the army and train to be fighter pilots. Their family never took them seriously.

A/N-So there it is. The next chapter will be up soon. I hope.


	5. Running Away

A/N-So, I have been writing a lot over the past two days and I am proud to give you Chapter 5.

Disclaimer- Danny and Rafe are not mine.

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Chapter 5-Running Away

1937

Danny has been living with the McCawley family for four years now. He is now 18 and Rafe is 19. Danny just graduated from high school and he and Rafe enlisted in the army. This really upset Tori who is now 15. Tori is the only person who knew that they enlisted. Rafe's parents were totally against the idea once the war started brewing over in Europe. They were afraid that America would end up in the war once it got started.

"Why do you have to leave?" Tori asked when Rafe and Danny were trying to figure out how they were going to run away.

"We signed up for the army, Tor. We have to go. Besides, you knew it would happen sometime. We told you that we were going to enlist." Rafe attempted to explain to his little sister.

"I know Rafe, but I never thought that you guys would actually go through with it."

"You know that it is our dream to fly as fighter pilots. This is our chance and don't think we were about to pass it up."

"Yeah, but how do you think mom and dad are going to react? They didn't want you to sign up in the first place."

"Well, they won't find out until we are on the train to New York."

"When do you leave?"

"In three days, Tor, in three days."

Tori got up and ran off crying. Danny got up and went after her while Rafe sat there completely dumbfounded. Danny followed Tori all the way down to the lake where he and Rafe first met almost ten years earlier. She collapsed and Danny ran over to her.

"Tori, everything is going to be okay."

"How do you know, Danny? How do you know that everything is going to be alright? There is a war coming, everyone knows it. Once it starts you will be shipped off. How do you know?" Tori said through a sea of tears.

"Tori, everything has to be ok. I mean, four years ago my world came crashing down. I lost the only family I had left. My dad was all I had and he was a drunken bastard who beat me. If I am given a second chance after that then everything has to be okay." Danny explained. He hadn't talked about his dad in four years. Nobody ever brought it up, nobody dared to.

"I know Danny, but I am just so scared for you guys. I mean, you two mean so much to me. I don't want to lose you." Tori wrapped her arms around Danny's neck and cried into his shoulder.

"Listen to me Tori." He said pulling away from her slightly. "You are never going to lose us. We will always be with you, in your heart and in your memory." He hugged her tightly. He never wanted to let go. They sat there like that for over an hour.

"Let's go back up to the house. It is almost time for dinner. Don't worry, Tor. Your brother and I love you very much." Danny said as he stood up pulling Tori up with him.

"Thanks Danny. It's my job to worry but I will take it down a notch." Tori smiled at Danny. He always seemed to have that affect on her. No matter how bad she was feeling Danny always made her smile.

"The two walked all the way back up to their house without speaking a single word. Tori was still upset but she couldn't show it around her parents. It would send out a signal to their parents that something not right. She couldn't ruin this for Rafe and Danny. It was their dream after all.

Tori, Danny and Rafe spent a lot of time out of the house talking over the next three days. Tori was now feeling better about them leaving. She made a decision but didn't tell anyone. She decided to enlist as a nurse once she turned 18 and that wasn't for another three years.

The day came for Danny and Rafe to leave. They were waiting on the front porch for the taxi that would take them to the train station. Danny wrote a note for Rafe's parents explaining everything. It was four in the morning and the rest of the family would not be up for another three hours. The taxi pulled up to the house. Rafe and Danny picked up their bags and tossed them into the trunk of the car. They took one last look at their childhood before climbing into the backseat of the taxi. They left and never looked back.

At 7 o'clock that morning, Rafe's parents woke up. Rafe's mother went into the kitchen to cook breakfast. That was when she found the note from Rafe and Danny saying that they left three hours ago for the army. Rafe's mother broke down crying. His dad came into the kitchen followed by Tori.

"What's wrong, honey?" Rafe's dad asked his wife when he found her crying at the kitchen table.

"Rafe and Danny are gone."

"What do you mean 'gone'?"

"They left this morning. They enlisted in the army. They are currently on a train to New York to begin training." She said through tears.

Tori knew this was going to be hard but she never thought it would be this hard.

The room that once belonged to Rafe and Danny never changed. Rafe's mother didn't want to let go.

Over the next three years, Rafe and Danny were rarely talked about. If they did come up in a conversation it was usually just to find out how they were doing. Those three years were hardest on Tori.

Rafe and Danny wrote to Tori everyday but little did they know they would be seeing her sooner than expected.

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A/N- That's it for this chapter. Next chapter should prove to be more interesting. I hope to have it up soon. 


	6. Victoria the Nurse

A/N-I worked very hard to get this chapter done. Victoria and Tori are the same person. I am also introducing Betty, Barbara and Evelyn in this chapter. I couldn't remember if the movie ever said Betty's last name so I made up my own. I hope you like this chapter.

Disclaimer-The only character that is mine is Victoria/Tori. I own nobody else.

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Chapter 6-Victoria the Nurse

1940

_It is different here. We get up early, eat breakfast, train, eat lunch, train, eat dinner and go out. By the time we get the chance to go out we are too tired from training. Rafe and I miss you and the family very much. Tell mom and dad we love them. Oh, we love you, too, Tori. With all our love, Rafe and Danny._

It was Tori's most recent letter from Rafe and Danny. Every letter made Tori cry even though she knew she would be seeing them soon.

Tori just graduated and went behind her parents' back to enlist in the army as a nurse. She held the letter close for a few moments before setting it down to write her own letter to her parents explaining why she was leaving. She asked her parents to not tell Rafe and Danny. She left the note on the kitchen table where her parents would find it and then carried her bags outside to wait for the taxi.

It was another four in the morning runaway for the McCawley family. Tori was the youngest and was now leaving.

The taxi pulled up and Tori placed her bags in the trunk. She took one last look at the home she grew up in wondering if she would ever see it again. Tori climbed into the backseat of the cab and left without looking back.

While Tori was on the train to New York she made another decision. Tori decided to go only by her real name with the nurses. She would only be called Tori by four people, her mother, her father, Rafe and Danny. The nurses would know her only as Victoria. 'Tori' was a special name in her eyes.

She arrived in New York about ten hours later. Victoria climbed into another cab and rode to the nurse's training base. The first thing she had to do was get signed in and assigned.

"How may I help you, miss?" The lady at the desk asked when she saw Victoria standing in front of her.

"I am new. I just got here. Am I supposed to sign in or register or something like that?" Victoria asked in a thick southern drawl.

"What is your name, miss?"

"Victoria McCawley."

"Yes, here you are. From Tennessee, correct?"

"Yes, that would be me. So what do I do now, mam?"

"Well first you have to sign this paper." The lady set a piece of paper down in front of Victoria. "Then, I can give you your rooming assignment."

Victoria picked up a pen and signed her name to the sheet of paper. She handed the paper back to the lady sitting at the desk who filed the paper away.

"Alright. You will be living in room 28 with Evelyn Johnson and Betty Lawrence. Here is your key to the room. Evelyn and Betty are already there." The lady at the desk handed her the key. "My name's Barbara if you need anything."

"When does training start?" Victoria asked as she took the key.

"Your training will start tomorrow. Welcome to the army nursing school." Barbara smiled at Victoria.

Victoria picked up her bags and headed to room 28. Once she found the room she set one bag down and pulled out her key and unlocked the door. She opened the door to the room and reached down to pick up her other bag. Victoria entered the room and went straight to the bed that was still untouched. 'My roommates must have claimed the other beds already.' She thought to herself. Just then two other women entered the room.

"You must be our third roommate." The girl with blonde hair stated. "I'm Betty."

"Yes, I am your new roommate. I am Victoria." She shook Betty's hand. Victoria reached her hand towards the dark haired woman who she still didn't know.

"I am Evelyn Johnson." The dark haired girl said as she shook Victoria's hand "You sound like you are from the south."

"I would hope so. I was born and raised in Tennessee." Victoria went back over to her bed and began unpacking her bags. "Do either of you have siblings?" She asked as she pulled out her picture of Rafe and Danny. Danny never officially became a McCawley.

Betty was the first to answer Victoria's question. "No, I am an only child. My parents were upset when I ran-away but that was awhile ago."

Evelyn answered, "Yes, I have a brother back at my home. What about you Victoria?"

"Well, I have an older brother who joined the army about three years ago as a pilot with his best friend. His best friend also lived with us because his dad died when he was fourteen."

"What about his mom?" Betty asked.

"She died before he moved to Tennessee when he was nine years old."

"Oh wow." Betty was speechless.

"Your brother's friend must have been a mess after he lost his dad." Evelyn stated. She couldn't imagine life without her parents.

"He was at first but he was fine once we stopped talking about his dad. The day his dad's autopsy results came in was the day he and my brother decided that they wanted to be army pilots. They used to fly everyday back home. I missed it once the left for training. I haven't seen them in three years." Victoria sat down on her bed with tears in her eyes as she held the picture of Rafe and Danny. She missed them so much.

"Oh, Victoria. Don't cry. You will see them soon enough. We are performing exams in three months on the pilots. Surely you will see them there." Evelyn said as she rushed over to Victoria.

"Sorry. I haven't seen them in three years so I really miss them." Victoria wondered about them meeting up again. "Do you think they will recognize me? I have changed a lot over the last three years."

"I am sure your brother will recognize you. You two are brother and sister after all."

"I sure do hope so." Victoria decided that if they didn't recognize her then she would not say a thing but let them figure it out on their own.

"Come on. Let's go get something to eat. I am so hungry." Betty said holding her stomach.

"Alright. Let's go." Victoria said as she stood up and placed the picture facedown on her nightstand. Evelyn also got up and joined Victoria and Betty at the door to their room. They left the room and shut the door behind them.

"So, where are we going to go to eat?" Victoria asked her roommates.

"We can either eat here at the training center cafeteria or we can go across the street to the small restaurant. I would suggest the restaurant since we have to eat in the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch everyday." Evelyn explained while Betty went to get some of the other nurses. Evelyn and Victoria made their way to the training center lobby to wait for Betty and the other nurses. They went across the street to the restaurant. The nurses had a great time getting to know each other. They talked about everything, their family, where they came from and why they enlisted. Victoria made many new friends that day.

The next three months flew by and Victoria now understood what Rafe and Danny meant in that letter. Her nurses training was very difficult and time consuming. It was now time for the nurses to do the testing on the pilots. Victoria was nervous about seeing Rafe and Danny again after three years.

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A/N- I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Chapter 7 should be out soon. Please review and let me know if there is anything that I can do to make my stories better.


	7. Meetings

A/N-Thank you to those of you who sent reviews. It was greatly appreciated. This is the newest chapter of my story. Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Things have been a little crazy lately with school and extra-curriculars. I have also been struggling with a massive case of writers block. Also I know that the details that are representing scenes from the movie are not exact. When writing them I couldn't remember exact lines and I couldn't exactly refer to the movie since I was writing at school. I hope you all like the new chapter.

Disclaimer-The only character that I own in this story is Victoria. I tried to display scenes actually in the movie but I couldn't remember them exactly. I do not own those scenes but I did try to recreate them as best as possible.

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**Chapter 7-Meetings**

Victoria sat at her station. She was currently working the eye exams with Betty. Her time to rotate was almost there. She would be switching stations with Evelyn who was giving shots. So far she had not seen Rafe or Danny anywhere but they were only an hour into exams.

"Victoria, rotate to station four." The head nurse called out. Victoria stamped the chart of the pilot in front of her before closing the booth she was at. She picked up her things and made her way to the station. Two pilots were heading straight at her. One of the pilots collided with Victoria and Victoria dropped everything in her arms. The pilot stopped while the other kept walking. The one who she collided with bent down to help her pick everything up.

"I am so sorry Mam. My friend was worried about not passing his eye exam and I wasn't watching where I was going." The pilot said in a thick southern accent. His voice was deep. Victoria looked up into the pilot's dark brown eyes. There was something strangely familiar about this man but Victoria couldn't figure out what it was.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't really paying attention to who was around me." Victoria replied as she picked up her last paper. The two stood up just as Victoria was getting yelled at by her superior.

"Victoria, station four, now."

"Yes, Mam. Sorry but I have to go before I get kicked out of the army." Victoria rushed off to station four leaving behind a very confused pilot. He turned and caught up with his friend.

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"Don't worry, Rafe. You'll pass the exam. They won't take the wings from one of the army's best pilots." Danny said trying to encourage his best friend.

"Next." The nurse sitting at the eye exam table called. Rafe stepped up to the table and handed his chart to the nurse. He picked up the piece to cover his eye and held it up as he rattled off the bottom line of the eye chart.

"Ok. Cover your other eye and read the chart starting from the top line."

Rafe did as he was told and struggled through the first two lines. The nurse stopped him and asked Rafe to read the bottom line again but from right to left and every other letter with both eyes. Rafe once again struggled reading the letters.

"I am sorry, Lieutenant, but the army requires their pilots to have 20/20 vision." The nurse said as she reached for the failed stamp. Rafe resorted to pleading with her. If she failed him the army would take his wings.

"Evelyn, rotate to station three." Evelyn grabbed the approved stamp and stamped Rafe's medical charts and handed them back to him. She got up and made her way to station three.

Later on Rafe tracked Evelyn down at station three and impersonated another pilot to talk to her. He received his vaccinations for a second time. Evelyn refused to go out on a date with Rafe. He ended up falling, hitting his face on a table and breaking his nose.

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The nurses were on a train to New York City for a night on the town. In two days they would be leaving for Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Evelyn was retelling her story to Victoria and the other nurses. Something about the guy in Evelyn's story sounded really familiar but she couldn't figure out what it was. Victoria zoned out thinking about Rafe and Danny.

"Victoria, did you get to see the pilots you were looking for?" Victoria zoned back into the conversation when Barbara asked about Rafe and Danny. She was distraught by the thought that she had not seen the two friends.

"Unlike Evelyn here who has started dating that pilot. I had no such luck. I couldn't find Rafe and Danny anywhere. I miss them so much." Victoria said while frowning slightly.

"Don't worry, Victoria. You will find them soon enough. There are many guys in the army. I am sure it won't be long before you see them again." Evelyn said trying to comfort her.

The train pulled into the station in New York City. The nurses paraded off the train with Evelyn and Victoria leading the group. Coming from the opposite side of the station were pilots in full army dress. Leading the group of pilots were Rafe and Danny but Victoria was unable to recognize them. The two groups approached each other. Once they were close enough Rafe was the first one to speak addressing Evelyn.

"Good morning, Lieutenant."

"Good morning, Lieutenant." Evelyn replied

"Pick a hand." Evelyn chose Rafe's left hand and he pulls out a paper swan for her.

"What was in the other hand?"

"Mine." Rafe said as he pulled his right hand from behind his back. Evelyn gave Rafe a big hug. He picked her up and spun her around.

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Later that Night…

The nurses and pilots met up at a fancy restaurant in New York City hotel. The army was putting on a dance for the nurses and pilots that would soon be shipping off to Pearl Harbor. Rafe had big news to tell Evelyn and Danny about his meeting with Doolittle the other day.

"Danny, I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure, Rafe. What is it?"

"Um well…I am leaving." Rafe said quietly.

"Rafe, we are all leaving for Pearl Harbor in a few days." Danny was confused. Why did Rafe need to talk about leaving for Pearl? It wasn't like Evelyn wasn't going with them. The nurses would be in Pearl as well.

"Danny, I am leaving tomorrow for England. I was assigned to fly in the Eagle Squadron."

"Are you joking? Why would you go and put yourself in danger? That is not just training. It's war over there. People are dying over there."

"I know but I was ordered to go…by Doolittle."

"Why did they have to send you?"

"I don't know but I am the one they chose to go." Rafe told Danny. Rafe knew that he wasn't telling Danny the truth but he knew how Danny would react if he told his friend that he signed up by himself for the Eagle Squadron. Danny would never forgive him for signing up.

"But how can you fly in the war, you are an American citizen."

"I know that but the Eagle Squadron is a unit of the RAF that was set up for American pilots that need combat experience and who the military officials think would do a good job in the war."

"But why you? I thought it was on a volunteer basis."

"I guess not enough people were volunteering to go. They had to start ordering people to go. But we can discuss this more later. I still need to tell Evelyn."

"Alright. Just curious but don't you think Evelyn's friend Victoria looks familiar."

"Yeah, she kinda looks like my little sister but my parents said she was away at school. You don't think she would have signed up as a nurse."

"I don't think she would have done the same thing we did. She is too smart to follow in our footsteps. Besides, Tori would never disappoint your parents like that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I have to go see Evelyn."

"Alright. See you later, Rafe." Danny headed back into the restaurant as Rafe went off to find Evelyn. Danny spotted Victoria sitting by herself. There was something about her that seemed so familiar but Danny couldn't figure out what it was. All he knew was that Victoria was absolutely beautiful. She sat there at the table with her hair, the color of amber grain, flowing over her shoulders. Danny wanted to sit and talk to Victoria but he was never good at talking to beautiful girls like her. Rafe was the one who had no problems with women but Danny always got tongue-tied around cute girls. There was only one girl he liked that he had never had trouble talking to and she was miles away. Danny made up his mind to go over to talk to the beautiful, amber-haired girl. He made his way to the table Victoria was sitting at.

"Hello. Is this seat taken?" Danny asked motioning to the empty chair at the table.

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A/N-I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please Review and send any suggestions you may have to make my story better. Thanks for reading. Next chapter will be out as soon as possible.


	8. Love?

A/N-Here is the next chapter in my story I hope you all like it and don't get too mad at me for the ending. Chapter Nine is already written by I am not going to post it until I get some reactions to this one. I wrote the ending of this chapter specifically for those who hate cliffhangers. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer-Not everything may be exact in my story so please bear with me. I don't own Danny, Rafe, Evelyn or any other character from the actual movie. The only character that is mine is Victoria.

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Chapter 8-Love?

Victoria looked up at who was talking to her. She saw the same brown eyed pilot that she ran into at the pilot exam day. Victoria thought Evelyn had introduced them but she couldn't remember what his name was. She realized that he was asking about the empty seat across from her spot.

"Oh, nobody is sitting there. Go ahead and sit there if you would like." Victoria smiled at the pilot but then remembered that she forgot his name. "I know this probably sounds really weird. I know that Evelyn introduced us but I can't remember your name." Victoria stated as she turned a little pink.

"Don't worry about it. My name is Danny." Danny smiled as he held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Danny. My name is Victoria." Victoria shook Danny's strong hand. They reminded her of the strong, comforting hands of Daniel Walker. This couldn't be her Danny though because the Danny that Victoria knew was tall but not very muscular. Danny Walker, three years ago, would have been described as tall and lanky. The man sitting before her was by no means lanky. He was tall and had well-built muscles like most of the pilots who had mechanical training. Danny must have had that training but she doubted he would have become so muscular.

"Victoria, are you okay?" Victoria snapped back into the conversation.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Victoria blushed slightly. She always felt embarrassed when she zoned out of conversations. It had been happening a lot recently. There were many times when Victoria had zoned out and there was nothing she could do to control it.

"Well, I said it was nice to meet you, too, but you seemed to be lost in thought. Are you okay? I mean you were really out of it just now." Danny realized that he was still holding Victoria's petite hand. He looked at the hand enclosed within his own. She had thin, long fingers with long fingernails painted the color of violets. Her hands were beautiful. A person's hands can say a lot about the person. Her hands seemed to express that she was very graceful.

"Danny, what are you staring at?" Victoria said as she slipped her hand from his grasp.

"Sorry, I guess I was off in my own little world. It happens sometimes."

"Alright. Well, how about we forget our moments just now of us in our own little worlds."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Danny smiled at Victoria. She couldn't help but smile back at Danny. He was so cute and handsome…especially in his army dress.

"So, Danny, why did you join the army?"

"Well, my friend and I used to fly all the time back home. Everyone said we walked around with our heads in the clouds. My friend and I decided that we would join the army as pilots to get more and better training. What about you?"

"My brother and a friend of his joined a few years ago and I wanted to be the one to take care of them should they happen to get hurt. I don't know where they are though."

"You can't find your brother?"

"No, I thought I would see him the day of exams but I didn't. Of course I haven't seen them since they left three years ago. I won't recognize them anyway and I know they won't recognize me because I was only 15 when they left."

"How old would your brother and his friend be?"

"Well, they are at least three years older than me and my brother is four years older than me. So my brother is 22 and his friend should be 21."

"Cool."

"Yeah, I miss them sometimes but I enjoy spending time with the other nurses. They have become really good friends to me."

"Well, it is good that you have made some good friends."

"I just wish that I could find them."

"I am sure you will and probably when you least expect it."

"You're right." Victoria said looking down slightly at the plate in front of her.

"Are you hungry, Victoria?" Danny asked as he noticed Victoria looking at her plate. He glanced around the restaurant trying to find a waiter or waitress to order some food but he didn't see one anywhere.

"I am a little hungry." Victoria said looking back up at Danny.

"Okay. I will go find somebody to get us some food. I will be right back." Danny got up and headed off to find them a waiter or waitress. He returned a few minutes later followed by one of the waiters. Danny sat back down and picked up his menu.

"What can I get for you two this fine evening?" The waiter asked the two young military officers.

"You first, Victoria. Order whatever you would like to eat." Danny said smiling over his menu. Victoria smiled before turning to the waiter.

"I'll have the fish and chips and a soda." Victoria said before turning back to Danny. She gave Danny a look as if to say it was his turn.

"I'll have the same. Thank you." Victoria and Danny handed the menus to the waiter before he left the table. Danny turned back to face Victoria. He couldn't take his eyes off the vision of beauty in front of him.

Victoria noticed Danny staring at her from across the table. The first thought that came to mind was, 'Do I have something on my face?' She had to ask.

"Danny, what are you staring at? Is there something on my face?" Victoria asked with a bemused look on her face. What was he staring at?

"Sorry, Victoria. You don't have anything on your face. You are just very pretty." Danny said trying not to blush or at least not show it.

Victoria looked away from Danny in attempt to hide her bright rosy red face from him. Only the comments like that from a guy that ever had this effect on her were those comments from Daniel Walker. She never thought that comments about her looks from anybody but Danny Walker would embarrass Victoria like this. She didn't blush very easily. Her mom always said that only Victoria's true love could make her blush. Did that mean that the person sitting in front of her was her true love but what about Danny Walker? Victoria had a lot to think about that night. The sooner dinner was over; the sooner she could get up to her room and be all alone.

Victoria and Danny sat in an uncomfortable silence until their meals came. She couldn't remember the last time she had some good fish and chips. All that was served in nurses training was the same army food that was served to every other army member.

The silence continued throughout the meal. Once Victoria finished eating she folded up her napkin and set it on the table.

"Well, thank you for dinner but I have some stuff to take care of up in my room." Victoria stood up from the table and carefully pushed in her chair.

"Wait, when can I see you again?" Danny said ad he also got up from the table.

"I don't know. I mean we leave for Pearl Harbor in just two days and the entire division of nurses and pilots are going as well. There won't be time to do much of anything let alone meeting up with someone." Victoria stated from a position behind the chair she once occupied.

"Not everybody from the division is going to Pearl Harbor with us." Danny said frowning slightly.

"What do you mean? Who isn't going to Pearl with us?"

"One of my friends is not going to Pearl. He is going to England to fly with the Eagle Squadron."

"How is that possible? Your friend is a United States Army Officer."

"I know that but the Eagle Squadron was set up for United States pilots to provide them with real combat experience. He said that he was ordered to go by Doolittle."

"Oh. Well, I will pray for his safety. Right now, I need to go upstairs." Victoria quickly walked away from the table and out of the restaurant. Danny stood there looking after her with a mixed look of both confusion and longing. He was confused as to why she left so quickly and at the same time longed to be at her side.

Danny sat back down at the table just as Rafe entered the restaurant. Rafe headed straight for the table that Danny was sitting at. Victoria's empty plate was still sitting on the table.

"Hey, buddy." Rafe said as he approached his friend. He noticed the two plates on the table. "Were you more that a little bit hungry?" Rafe looked at Danny as he sat down at the table. Danny looked upset and Rafe could tell. "What happened, Danny boy? You can tell me. We tell each other everything. Did you try to talk to Victoria?" Danny simply nodded his head. "Well, what happened?"

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A/N-There you have it. That is all of Chapter 8. I know that it is very cruel but oh well. Please Review. The more reviews I get the sooner Chapter nine will be posted. 


	9. Author's Note

Author's Note

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Sorry everyone. I know that I haven't posted in awhile. Don't worry I am not ditching this story. Chapters 9 and 10 are done I just haven't been able to post them. I have been very busy but I should have them posted soon. Thank you for reviewing. I enjoy knowing that I have readers who enjoy my story. I hope to possibly start another one soon but I would like some ideas for another story.

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Author's Note 


	10. Chapter 9: Identity

A/N-Sorry it has taken me so very long to update my story. Everything has been pretty crazy since graduation is two days away.

Disclaimer-My only character in this story is Victoria.

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Chapter 9-Identity

Danny explained to Rafe about the talk he had with Victoria during dinner.

"I don't understand, Rafe. What did I say to make Victoria upset?" Danny asked putting his face in the palms of his hands. Why was this upsetting him so much?

"I don't know, Dannyboy. Do you remember if Victoria said why she was going up to her room?"

"She said that she had things to do but didn't tell me anymore than that."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you Danny. I really have never gotten that reaction from any girl before. It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong."

"Well, what happened with Evelyn? How did she take your news about going to fly with the Eagle Squadron?"

"She was upset but promised to write me everyday while I am gone. I told her not to come to the train station to see me off tomorrow."

"Why did you tell her that, Rafe?"

"Well, if she really loves me then she will come to the station anyway."

"That doesn't make any sense, Rafe. Besides, you shouldn't be worried about testing her love for you when you are leaving for the war in the morning." Danny explained before picking up his soda and taking a sip of it.

"I need to know that Evelyn truly does love me. What else will keep me alive over there?"

"I don't know but I think this is the wrong way to go about finding out if she does love you."

"Whatever, Danny. You can think what you want to think but I am gonna do what I want to do."

"Yeah, well we better head up to our room. You have an early start tomorrow after all."

"Are you ever going to…to let me live down my leaving for England?"

"Not if you manage to live."

"I can tell you are not happy about my orders to go to England."

"Yeah, well I am heading up to the room."

"Do you want me to see if Evelyn can find out what is wrong with Victoria?" Rafe suggested.

"Do you think she would do that for me?"

"I don't know why she wouldn't. I'll go talk to Evelyn about it." Rafe replied as he got up from his seat at the table.

"Thanks, Rafe. I'll see you later. Probably back up in our room. I am heading up right now." Danny said getting up from the table.

"It is no problem, Danny. I'll see you back up in the room." Rafe headed off to, once again, find Evelyn. She was probably up in her room. Rafe got on the elevator and selected the floor that Evelyn's room was on. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and Rafe got off and quickly walked down the hallway. Soon Rafe was knocking on the door of the hotel room. Evelyn answered the door.

"Hi, Rafe. What are you doing here?"

"Danny and I have a favor to ask of you."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, Danny was having dinner with your friend Victoria and after dinner she took off. He is afraid that he upset her in some way. Could you talk to her and find out what Danny did wrong?"

"Sure, Rafe. Come back in about a half hour."

"Alright Evelyn. See you." Rafe kissed Evelyn before leaving to go up to his room. Evelyn turned and closed the door behind her before going to talk to Victoria. This shouldn't prove to be too difficult of a task. She was sharing a room with Victoria who was currently in the shower. There was nothing Evelyn could do but wait for Victoria to finish her shower and come out of the bathroom. Five minutes later, Evelyn heard the shower go off which meant that Victoria would be coming out of the bathroom very soon.

"Hey Victoria. I wanna talk to you about something."

"Okay, Evelyn. I'll be out in just a minute."

"Okay."

Victoria came out of the bathroom a minute later. She went over and sat down on the bed next to her dear friend.

"What's up, Evelyn?"

"I just heard something very interesting."

"Really! What?"

"Rafe was talking to his friend Danny and Danny claimed that he had dinner with you. Is it true?"

"Yeah, I did have dinner with Danny. Why?" Victoria said sheepishly after a few minutes.

"Victoria that's great. I have one other question though. Danny told Rafe that you ran off after you were done eating. I don't understand why you ran away. What happened during dinner that stemmed the running away reaction?" Evelyn said with a confused look on her face.

"Well, we were talking about going to Pearl and Danny couldn't stop staring at me. He told me I was very pretty and I started blushing. The only person that could ever make me blush back home in Tennessee was my brother's best friend Danny. My mom always told me that only my true love could make me blush. So I got scared. I needed to get out of there to think but I had to wait until after dinner to get out. I was feeling sad thinking about my Danny from back home and this one. I was just confused."

"So, Danny didn't do anything wrong?"

"No. He didn't think this was all his fault, did he? I hope not."

"He did. Danny is really upset because he thinks he did something to upset you."

"No, Danny was as sweet as he could be. He bought me dinner and was so very kind to me. I just needed to think. Can you let him know that he didn't do anything wrong?"

"Yeah. I'll have Rafe tell him but you should talk to him as well. I think that will make Danny feel much better about dinner."

"I would but I don't know if I can. I mean, I don't even know what I am feeling right now. I think that I should figure that out first."

"Yes you need to figure that out but you can at least tell him that he didn't do anything wrong. Just tell him that you were confused and needed to be alone to think."

"That might work. I will talk to him in the morning. It is too late to go find him tonight. I am rather tired. I can wait until the morning to find Danny. That would be best, right?" Victoria gave Evelyn sorrowful look. She didn't know quite what to do.

"Well, Rafe is coming back up here soon. He can put Danny's mind at ease until tomorrow. You need to find Danny first thing tomorrow then."

"Alright. Thank you, Evelyn. That really helped me. I will talk to Danny tomorrow." Victoria leaned over and embraced Evelyn.

"You are very welcome, Victoria."

"So," Victoria began with a huge grin on her face, "how was your date with Rafe?"

"It was great until we got back here."

"Why? What happened that made the end of the date so bad?"

"Well, once we got back here to the front of the hotel, Rafe said that he had something to tell me. He told me that he was leaving for England in the morning. I told him that it was impossible for the army to order him to go. Rafe said he wasn't ordered to go. He volunteered to go over there to fly with the Eagle Squadron. I can't believe he would leave me like this."

"I don't think he is purposely leaving you, Evelyn. I think he is just trying to get some training."

"It isn't training over there though. Everyday we are hearing radio news about people being killed. Pilots are being shot down everyday."

"I am sure he can take care of himself. Did you ever find out what Rafe last name is? The name of 'Rafe' is quite an unusual one."

"Yeah, I think he said it was McCawley." A shocked expression came across Victoria's face. She had finally found her brother but that must mean that she had dinner with Danny Walker. The very same Danny Walker that she grew up with. This also meant that her brother was looking for danger. He was putting himself in the line of fire. How could he do this to his family?

"Victoria, are you okay? What is wrong? You kind of spaced out for a few minutes." Evelyn asked with a really concerned look on her face.

"Sorry, Ev. I know Rafe McCawley better than you could imagine."

"Why do you say that, Victoria?"

"My last name is also McCawley. My brother's name is Rafe McCawley."

"So you are the sister that Rafe is always talking about. He is always talking about his sister back in Tennessee."

"They don't know that I signed up as a nurse. As far as Rafe and Danny know I am off attending college somewhere but my parents didn't tell them where. I specifically asked my parents not to tell them where I am. Rafe and Danny will be really mad if they found out that I followed them into the military."

"How long do you think you can keep it a secret? Someone is bound to find out. If just one person finds out it will be all over the base in no time at all."

"I know that but I kept it from them since I left home months ago."

"True, but at that point you didn't even know where your brother and Danny were. How will you hide it from them now that you have found them?"

"I don't know. You won't tell Rafe who I am, right? I don't want him worrying about me being in the army while he is fighting in the war."

"Don't worry, Victoria. I won't tell Rafe. I will keep your secret for as long as you want me to."

"Thank you so much, Evelyn. You are such a great friend. I couldn't do this without you." Victoria once again wrapped her arms around Evelyn. Just then the two nurses heard a knock at the door of the hotel room. Victoria pulled back from the embrace and let Evelyn go to answer the door.

"Hi, Rafe."

"Hi, Evelyn. Did Victoria tell you what happened at dinner?"

"Yes she did but Victoria needs to be the one to explain it to Danny. He didn't do anything wrong. Victoria just needed to get away to think about something. I can't give anymore detail that that. She said that she will find Danny tomorrow to explain exactly what happened at dinner. He has nothing to worry about."

"Thank you so very much, Evelyn. Danny will be very grateful to know that Victoria is not mad at him. I can't imagine anybody being angry with sweet, kind-hearted Danny Walker."

"Neither could I Rafe."

"Well, I had better get back to my hotel room and tell Danny what you told me."

"Alright. Bye, Rafe." Evelyn kissed Rafe before he turned and left. She made her way back to where Rafe's sister and her dear friend was sitting.

"I told Rafe exactly what you told me to tell him. He is going to tell Danny to not worry because he didn't do anything wrong."

"Thank you, Evelyn. Are you going to the train station to see Rafe off in the morning?"

"He told me not to go."

"Trust me, Evelyn. He really wants you to show up tomorrow. If you show up it will show him that you love him. It is a stupid test that he used to do back home. If there was a girl he really liked then he would tell them that he was leaving in the morning but he didn't want to say good-bye at the station. If the girl showed up he knew that she loved him. If she didn't then he would just forget about her and move on."

"Did any of the girls that he did this to actually show up?"

"Not that I know of. He was always talking about a new girl that he liked after he gave the previous one 'the test'. He never settled down with a girl back so I guess that none of them ever caught on."

"Do you think he is just testing me and not actually going to England?"

"No, I don't. Danny told me as well that Rafe is leaving tomorrow. I think he just wants to know for sure that you love him and forget about him while he is gone."

"So, should I go?"

"Do you love Rafe McCawley?"

"Yes, I do love him."

"Then I think you know the answer to that question already, Evelyn."

"Yeah. It seems as though we both have an important day ahead of us. We should probably get some sleep."

"That is a good idea, Evelyn. Good night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Victoria."

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A/N-So there it is. Chapter Ten will be up soon. Hopefully. Please Review.


	11. Chapter 10Journey

Disclaimer-I do not own Rafe, Danny or Evelyn. The only character that is of my own creation is Victoria.

A/N-Sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter published. I had it written I just didn't have time to post it. I know it is taking me a long time for Danny to figure it out but please trust me I have a plan and I have it all figured out in my mind how it is going to play out.

Chapter 10-Journey

The alarm clock in Victoria and Evelyn's room went off early the next morning. Victoria got up to turn off the alarm before gently shaking Evelyn awake. They both had eventful days ahead of them. Victoria had to find Danny and explain to him about what happened the night before at dinner. She felt a little more comfortable now that she knew that this was her Danny. The same Danny that made her feel loved by someone other than her family during the awkward teenage years. Once he left Victoria felt very lonely, but the night before was the first time she felt loved in three years. Evelyn had to go to the train station before Rafe left to show him that she loved him.

"Evelyn, you have to get up. Rafe is leaving today for England. You need to go to the train station to see him off. If you don't get up soon, you are going to miss Rafe's train. When does his train leave again?"

"At eleven." Evelyn mumbled through her pillow. It was clear that it wasn't going to be easy to get Evelyn up this morning. Victoria came up with a great idea.

"Well, then you are going to be late. It is ten and you still have to shower, get dressed and do your hair before you can leave this morning." Evelyn bolted out of bed and ran straight to the bathroom. Victoria sat on the bed where Evelyn had once laid. She was laughing so hard that she didn't notice Evelyn reappear in the doorway of the bathroom.

"What are you laughing at?"

Victoria snapped her head in the direction of the bathroom door. "In all honestly, I am laughing at you. You are so gullible, Evelyn. I can't believe you fell for it."

"What do you mean?"

"You actually thought that you only had an hour before Rafe's train left. Ev, look at the clock. It is only 8:30. You have two and a half hours."

"Are you serious? Why would you scare me like that?" The look that Evelyn shot Victoria said everything. She was mad and it didn't look like she was getting over it anytime soon.

"I am very serious, Evelyn. I said that because it was the only way to get you out of bed. You were refusing to get up. I was forced to take drastic action."

"You didn't have to resort to anything that drastic."

"Yes, I did. I couldn't let you miss his train. This was for the best."

"Whatever." Evelyn said before turning and heading back into the bathroom. Victoria went over to her suitcase to pick out what she was going to wear when she went to see Danny. She was incredibly nervous about talking to Danny about the previous night. By the time that Evelyn finished in the bathroom, Victoria was ready to get in the bathroom.

"When are you leaving for the train station, Evelyn?"

"I am leaving as soon as I am finished getting ready. I don't know how much longer that will be though. I don't even know what I am going to wear. Can you help me Victoria?"

"Of course I can help you." Victoria met Evelyn over in the corner of the room where Evelyn's suitcase was. About twenty minutes later, Evelyn was dressed to go. She did her hair and grabbed her bag and coat. She had about twenty minutes to get to the train station. Evelyn ran out the door and towards the elevators. Victoria stood there watching Evelyn running frantically from the room off to see Rafe one last time before he left for England.

Victoria went into the bathroom to shower and get ready to go see Danny. Of course Danny probably took Rafe to the train station so she would have to wait until Evelyn got home before she'd go talk to Danny. Victoria took her time getting dressed and ready to go since she had plenty of time. Just Victoria was coming out of the bathroom the phone in the hotel room rang. She rushed over to pick up the telephone.

"Hello." Victoria said when she picked up the phone.

"Hello." The voice on the other end of the line said. "Is Victoria there?"

"This is Victoria. May I ask who is speaking?"

"Oh, it's Danny. Rafe told me that you wanted to talk to me today."

"Yes I do want to talk to you. I want to explain about last night. Can I meet you in the restaurant in twenty minutes?"

"Of course. I really want to talk to you. I thought I did something wrong when you took off last night after dinner."

"I am really sorry about that. I will explain why I left so suddenly when we meet in the restaurant."

"Alright, I will see you in about twenty minutes then."

"See you soon, Danny."

"Bye Victoria." Victoria hung up the phone. She rushed around the room getting dressed and getting ready to go meet Danny. Once she finished, she glanced at the clock. She had five minutes to get down to the restaurant and find Danny. Victoria grabbed her purse and raced out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. She got to the lobby and glanced up at the clock. She still had about two minute to get into the restaurant. As soon as Victoria got to the restaurant she spotted Danny sitting by himself. She headed straight to where he was sitting.

"Hi, Danny." Victoria said as she approached Danny. He turned around to see who was talking to him.

"Hello, Victoria. How are you? Have a seat." Danny said motioning to the seat across from him.

"Thank you, Danny." Victoria sat down in the vacant seat. "I am doing rather well. What about you?"

"I am pretty good. Are you excited about going to Pearl Harbor?"

"Yes I am very excited about going to Pearl Harbor. It is going to be beautiful in Hawaii. Are you excited?"

"I would be more excited if Rafe wasn't going to England right now." Danny looked down. He didn't want Victoria to see how upset he was.

"I know what you mean." Victoria mumbled slightly.

"What did you say?" Danny asked as his head snapped up to look at Victoria. Victoria got a shocked look on her face.

"Oh, um, it was nothing. I wonder how Evelyn is doing right now."

"Did she go to the train station?"

"As far as I know she did. She hasn't come back yet."

"Really? His train left a half an hour ago."

"She should already be back then."

"Evelyn might have had problems getting out of the train station. It was very packed when I was there."

"I hope he saw her before he left."

"So do I. He will never let Evelyn forget it if she doesn't show."

"Yeah." Victoria got really quiet. She was trying to figure out how to bring up the previous night. It was proving to be more difficult than she thought it would be.

"So, Victoria. About last night, I am really sorry if I scared you off with something that I said. I have never been good with talking to girls, especially girls that are really pretty like you."

"You didn't scare me, Danny. I scared myself. It was just that there was a young man back home that I really cared for. He left three years ago for the military. I haven't seen him since. The thought that I could enjoy being with someone as much as I enjoyed being with him scared me a little bit last night. Does that make sense, Danny?"

"It does make sense. There was a girl that I was interested in when I enlisted. I left her behind. We wrote back and forth up until three months ago when she started college. She stopped writing to me when she left home. Her parents told me that they didn't know when she would be home again."

"I know."

"What do you mean?" Danny gave Victoria a very curious look. What was she to do? She couldn't tell Danny that she was the one who he had been writing to, let alone the fact that she still had all of his letters including the ones written after she left. How was she going to get out of this one?

"Well, um, what I meant to say was I know how you feel. I left for the army to be a nurse and didn't tell him. I still haven't told him."

"Why haven't your parents told him where you are?"

"Well, I asked for them not to tell him where I was so they just told him that I left home. They have sent me all the letters he has written since I enlisted. I am just scared for him to find out where I am because he and my brother are good friends and I know my brother will be really upset if he found out that I followed him into the army. He doesn't think that I would have done such a thing as he did. My brother will find out eventually once he sees me again."

"Wow. I can't imagine how hard that had to be for not only you but for your parents."

"It was difficult for them at first but they got used to it. I write to them all the time but I doubt that I will ever be welcome at home again. My parents are still upset at me for leaving even though they are used to me not being there."

"I understand what you are saying but I am sure your parents won't stay upset forever."

"You would be surprised. My parents are still upset from when my brother left and that was three years ago."

"Really? I can't imagine anybody being upset by someone leaving when it happened three years earlier. I mean there are some things that people do such as enlisting in the military that we are meant to forgive and forget the pain caused. Not everything we do is meant to be hurtful. I mean my dad beat me all the time but I forgave him especially after the night he died from too much alcohol. It is just something that everybody has to do at some point."

"Yeah, I am sure they will let it go at some point but I don't know when that will possibly be. I somehow doubt it will be real soon."

"Why is that?" Danny looked really confused. How could the parents of someone like Victoria not forgive her? As far as Danny could tell, Victoria has a very tender heart.

"Well, my parents are very good at holding grudges. They don't forgive people very easily. I don't see why it would possibly be any different with me than with anyone else."

"Oh. I see what you mean." Danny sat quietly not knowing what else to say. There was yet another awkward silence between Danny and Victoria.

"Um, are you ready to go to Pearl yet?" Victoria asked in attempt to break the awful silence that had come down between them.

"I guess so. I mean I am all packed since we leave in the morning. I don't know if I am emotionally and mentally ready to go yet. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I definitely understand what you are trying to say. Physically you are all ready to get on the train but mentally, you don't want to leave here."

"That is exactly what I mean. Leaving New York makes me feel like I am deserting Rafe even though he is the one who deserted me. Other than that I am all set to go. What about you? Are you ready for Pearl?"

"Of course. I am all packed and can't wait to go. I love traveling and seeing new places. It gives me a chance to learn about different cultures. Hawaii is going to be absolutely amazing. I am sure we are going to love it there."

"I think you are quite right. Um, are you hungry?"

"I am very hungry. I haven't gotten the chance to eat yet today. Been busy getting Evelyn off to the train station."

"Well, how about we order some food?" Danny handed a menu to Victoria before picking up his own. A few minutes later a waiter came over to the table.

"Would you two like to order or are you not ready yet?"

"I am ready to order. Are you ready, Victoria?" Danny asked looking over the top of his menu.

"I think I am ready as well. I am going to have the meatloaf and a cup of Cream of Broccoli Soup."

"What would you like to drink with that?"

"I would like a hot tea"

"Alright, and for you sir?"

"I will have the Reuben Sandwich also with a cup of Cream of Broccoli Soup."

"Very good and what would you like to drink with that?"

"I would also like a hot tea. Thank you." The waiter took the menus.

"Alright. I will return shortly with your teas." The waiter turned and headed off towards the kitchen.

"So, Victoria, do you think we are going to end up in the war anytime real soon?"

"I have no idea. I am kind of scared at the thought of us getting in the war. The whole concept of war scares me so very much. What do you think?"

"I know we are going to end up in the war at some point but I have no idea how soon that could possibly be. Don't worry, the thought of having to go and fight and battle in the war scares me just as much as it scares you and just about every other person in the Army."

"You are probably right on that one. War probably truly scares everyone whether they will admit it or not."

"Yeah, people don't like to admit their fears to other people because it shows weakness. They think that others will take advantage of their weaknesses and they will never be the same."

"Yeah, they see their fears as a sign of weakness and showing weakness is a fear. Insane cycle isn't it? People are afraid of showing what they are afraid of. It doesn't make sense, does it?"

"No, it really doesn't make any sense, but that is human nature. None of it really makes sense but what can you do."

"Yeah, there really isn't much you can do." Just then the waiter returned with two hot teas and two cups of Cream of Broccoli Soup.

"Your food is almost ready. I will return in just a few moments."

"Thank you very much." Victoria said before the waiter turned and left. She picked up her soup spoon and took a bite of the delicious soup. Danny did the same. She was amazed at how good the soup was. Victoria couldn't remember the last time she had cream of broccoli soup that was so good. It was probably before she left. "Mmmm… This is really good. I haven't had a good bowl of cream of broccoli soup in months."

"You're lucky. I haven't had some good broccoli soup in about three years. So, not since I left home to enlist. Rafe's mother used to make cream of broccoli soup from scratch. It was so delicious. I haven't been able to find anything like."

"My mom used to make cream of broccoli soup all the time. She always made it from scratch. It was the best cream of broccoli soup I have ever had." Danny and Victoria finished their soup in silence. Just as they were finishing their soup, the waiter returned with their meals. The two ate in silence. When they finished eating the waiter returned.

"Would you like anything for dessert?" Victoria was the first to answer.

"No thank you. I actually need to go upstairs and check on Evelyn. Thank you, Danny." Victoria got up from the table as Danny paid for their meals. She gave Danny a hug before she left the restaurant.

A/N-I hope you enjoyed this long awaited chapter. I promise the next chapter will be up sooner than this one was. Please review. Your comments are much appreciated.


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